JOHANNESBURG - Many men in South Africa are carrying deep emotional wounds that often go unseen and an expert says it’s affecting how they live, lead and relate to others.
Leadership and development practitioner Brian Mhlanga says men are "dealing with a lot of woundedness and brokenness," with statistics showing that six out of ten men live with trauma, have been traumatised, or will experience trauma at some point in their lives.
Mhlanga says much of this pain is rooted in what he calls the “father wound” a deep emotional injury linked to growing up without a parent or a stable male figure.
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Mhlanga warns that this wound can take men to “very dark places,” shaping how they see themselves and how they behave in society.
But he notes a shift among some men.
“Some men are now aware of their brokenness, their fragility and vulnerability and they are working through. Its not just aware, they’re addressing it in how they lead, how they show up, and how they interact with the world.”
Mhlanga says this healing journey is essential to heal.